The Cincy Blues Fest, widely considered
one of the best of its kind in the region, celebrates a remarkable 20
years of providing Greater Cincinnati live music lovers with some of the
finest Blues being made locally, regionally and nationally. Plus, new releases due this week from The Blues Merchants,
Gorges, Damn It To
Hell, Kissing Daylight and Jody Stapleton and the Generals

Seventh annual local music fest takes over Mainstay Friday and Saturday

Locally based independent label Grasshopper Juice Records has been presenting the Adjust Your Eyes Music & Art Festival, an annual showcase of local visual art and some of the label’s artists (plus other Grasshopper-friendly acts from Cincy and around the region), since 2006. Along with showcasing some of the city’s most creative original music makers, the event has raised thousands of dollars for organizations like American Cancer Society, Susan G. Komen For The Cure and Friends for Chris Walker (in support of the beloved late local bassist). After a 2011 festival at Newport’s Southgate House (now Thompson House), the AYE fest (presented in conjunction with Far-I-Rome Productions and sponsor Soap Floats Recording) moves to downtown’s Mainstay Rock Bar for this weekend’s two-day blowout, once again spotlighting a diverse cross-section of musical styles and approaches.The event runs tonight and tomorrow from 7 p.m.-2 a.m. and will feature more than 30 acts on both of the venue’s stages throughout both nights, as well as art installations prepared by BUNK News. Admission each night is $7. Here's the full schedule for tonight and tomorrow's AYE merriment. Click on each act's name for a link to more info and music samples.FRIDAY First Floor Stage:8:30 p.m. Red Beard’s Revenge9:30 p.m. Majestic Man10:30 p.m. Dinosaurs and Thunder11:30 p.m. The Harlequins12:30 a.m. SHADOWRAPTR1:30 a.m. Lemon SkySecond Floor Stage:8 p.m. Greg Zoller9 p.m. Bull Dancer10 p.m. Gorges11 p.m. The MJ’s Blues12 a.m. Andy Cook & The Wanderloons1 a.m. Meth Girlfriend Andy Cook and the Wanderloons - My Life as a Rabbit from Kevin Monnier on Vimeo.SATURDAYFirst Floor Stage:8:30 p.m. The Stratfords9:30 p.m. Damn It To Hell10:30 p.m. Department Store Alligators11:30 p.m. Pharaoh Loosey12:30 a.m. Shotski1:30 a.m. Crazy Legs&lt;a href="http://shotski.bandcamp.com/album/your-world"&gt;Your World by Shotski&lt;/a&gt;Second Floor Stage:8 p.m. Rachel Mousie9 p.m. Cowgirl10 p.m. Sassy Molasses11 p.m. West Ghost12 a.m. Founding Fathers1 a.m. "Mystery Band"

Slide guitar icon Sonny Landreth performs tonight at Oakley's 20th Century Theater with locals Monkeytonk opening things up at 8 p.m. (doors open at 7). Tickets are $22. Our Brian Baker says, "Landreth’s swampy yet razor sharp slide guitar riffs are as singularly identifiable as a fingerprint and as beautifully impressionistic as a Monet watercolor," while none other than Eric Clapton said Landreth is "probably the most underestimated musician on the planet and also is probably one of the most advanced." (Read more from Brian about Sonny here.)Landreth is touring behind Elemental Journey, the guitarist's first all-instrumental album. Check out his guitar-duet with Joe Satriani, "Gaia Tribe," below.• Catchy Indie Pop crew Wintersleep plays a free show tonight at MOTR Pub in Over-the-Rhine. The Canadian rockers (who, in 2008, won a Juno Award, which I believe is like a Grammy except made of Canadian bacon) just two days ago released their new album, Hello Hum. The show starts around 10 p.m. with local Pop/Rock foursome Damn It To Hell, which recently put out its first release (click here to listen).Here's Wintersleep playing the new album track "Nothing Is Anything (Without You)."• On Thursdays, Fountain Square presents two different concert series specials. At noon, it's Acoustic Thursdays for downtown lunchers and anyone else who wants to hear some good music sans electricity (well, they do use SOME electricity; PAs usually require it, unless it's an old fashion wheel-and-crank system). Today join Lauren Houston and Jim Pross on the Square at lunchtimeThen, at 7 p.m., it's time for the popular Salsa on the Square. Dance the night away with Stacie Sandoval's Grupo Tumbao. And don't worry if your moves are a little rusty; dance instructors will be on hand to lend their support to your two left feet.Click here for even more live music events tonight in Greater Cincinnati.